The Omniscrolls

  Days were passing and Christmas was nearing, but I was barely prepared. I knew that at that rate, I would be busy setting things up even on Christmas Eve. I wish mom was here; things would’ve been so much easier and fun. Mom used to take care of everything because my work always kept me occupied. It made me wonder whether I appreciated her enough while she was still around. “Earth to Violet, do you copy?” I almost jumped out of my chair; I didn’t realise my coworker Ralph was standing next to me. “Oh, hey! Sorry, I was spacing out.” “The GM wants to see you. Looks like you may be stuck here on the 24th, too.” “Tyler isn’t going to be very happy about it.” “If you don’t have any plans for Christmas, you can bring him to our house. My wife and daughter would love to see you two.” “I’ll let you know.” When I entered the GM’s office, someone I did not expect was there with him. “Violet, it has been a while. You’re looking good.” “Hello, Clive. And yes, the divorce has helped a lot. W...

  It was Christmas eve: the most difficult day of the year to send my son, Sammy, to bed. Every year, he tried his best to stay up for Santa. He always complained that he never got to do anything he wanted, and that being a kid was unfair. “Grown-ups can stay up till late all they want, but I can't even see Santa. I can’t wait to grow up.” “You won’t care about Santa when you’re grown up, Sammy.” “No, I’ll always care about him!” Sammy went to bed after hugging me a few minutes later, but he was still annoyed. I wished my brother Peter was still with us; he knew all the right things to say, and how to bargain with Sammy. Afterwards, I finished my chores and joined my husband Jeffrey in bed. I was falling asleep when there was a sudden noise from downstairs. Jeffrey jumped out of bed and grabbed his baseball bat. “Check on Sammy; I’ll go downstairs.” I rushed to Sammy's room; he was fast asleep. I locked his room door and went to the kitchen; I picked up the meat cleaver and rus...

  It was two weeks before Christmas, but I was far from being prepared; the tree wasn’t put up, and nothing had been bought. With the constant lockdowns this year, I had just lost all interest and energy, but I still wanted to shed the negativity from my body. When I went downstairs, however, I found that my husband, Preston, and son, Joshua, had already put up the Christmas tree and even decorated it. “Mommy look at what we did!” “It’s beautiful, hun. Good work!” The three of us then fixed the wall decorations and the crib. Even though it was a simple task, doing it with my family was rejuvenating to my soul. I was called in for work the following day, even though I was on leave; lockdown or not, law enforcement found no rest. To make matters even worse, we were understaffed as seventeen of my colleagues were already under quarantine. It was heartbreaking seeing my son plead with me to stay, but I had no choice. When I got back home that evening, Joshua was asleep on the couch; he...

I was trapped in darkness. I moved my hand to switch on the lampshade, but what I found was a vertical wooden frame. I panicked and sat up, only to hit my head on the cover. It was then that utter dread took over me. I was locked in a coffin. What’s going on here? Where am I? I began to hyperventilate. Beating on the coffin bore me no good, and neither did screaming. My throat was hoarse; I could barely breathe as my body trembled uncontrollably. It’s over for me... I’m going to die here. I did not know how much time passed, but it was an eternity. My head was weary, my eyes were heavy; I could feel my energy drain away each second. Then, when I was slipping out of consciousness, I heard a faint creak. I felt hands pulling me out and trying to revive me. Seconds passed and I was looking over my lifeless body. Right then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to find my mother standing behind me. “Mum? Am I dead?” “No, Tatiyana, it’s not your time. You need to go back to your fa...